Your 5 Year Old!
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Talk Box
What’s inside…
Everyday tips
Activities to try
What to expect
When to get help
Where to get help
Your 5 year old
is your MINI-ME
MINI-ME!!
By 5 years of age, you will notice that your child sounds like a miniature version of you!
He has learned basic sentences and says most speech sounds. He will still make some
mistakes when talking – that’s okay! He has lots to learn, like some speech sounds,
new words, and more complex sentences!
Everyday and everyway – How children learn language
Children learn language every single day and in almost everything they do! They learn new
words, new sentences, and how to play with language. Any activity that you and
your child do together is a chance to learn! To help your child develop good
talking and listening skills, try the following tips in your own language…
I spy with my
little eye something
that has wings, flies,
and has a beak.
Talking tips:
• Use complete sentences when
you talk to your child. This will
encourage him to use complete
sentences too.
• If your child makes a mistake when
he is talking, say it back to him
correctly. He does not have to
repeat it. What is important is
that he hears the correct way of
saying it.
• Use lots of describing words
when you are talking. Talk about
the size, shape, colour, and use
of things. For example, you
might say, “Let’s go get some
long, yellow bananas. I like to eat
sweet bananas. What do you like
about bananas?”
Listening tips:
• Get your child ready to listen. Let
her know when it is time to listen. You
might say, “Beth. Are you ready? I have
something to tell you.”
• Use colour (red, green), number (one,
four), and location (in, under) words in
directions. For example, you might say,
“Anne, can you put one red apple in the
basket?”
• Show your child what to do at the same
time you tell her what to do.
• Praise your child when she asks questions
or asks people to repeat what they said.
This shows that she is listening. She is
trying to remember and understand what
she hears.
Activities to try...
Want
more ideas
for fun
language
games?
Read the
Good Times
With Games
newsletter.
Children learn by doing!
Children learn by reading!
There are many activities that
you can do with your child to
help him learn language. You
probably do some of these already! Use the
everyday and everyway tips when you try
these activities:
Reading and language go
together. Reading can help your
child learn to talk and listen.
Talking and listening help make reading
and writing easier. All of these skills are
important in school. Here are some tips to
keep reading fun:
• Go on field trips to the zoo, museum,
grocery store, or playground. Taking your
• Read books with your child every day.
child to different places lets you use different It’s okay to read the same book every night
words.
for several weeks if your child likes it!
• Involve your child in games and activities.
• Choose books that have lots of pictures
Activities with groups of children, such
and not too many words on a page. Have
as swimming or playing at the playground,
fun talking about the pictures.
help him learn how to listen in a group, make • Let your child finish a sentence in a
friends, and take turns. Games give your
familiar story. For example, if you are
child a chance to practice waiting and taking
reading The Three Little Pigs, you could read
turns.
“Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” Let
• Play games like I Spy and Simon Says.
your child finish with “Not by the hair of my
These games help your child listen, use
chinny chin chin.”
describing words, group things together, and • Choose books that have lots of rhyming
take turns.
words. Point out the words that rhyme by
saying, “Hop, pop. These words rhyme.
They sound the same at the end. “
Ready to listen?
...Simon says touch
your nose, then
touch your feet.
• Talk about how longer words, like elephant,
are made up of smaller parts or syllables
(e + le + phant). Clap, tap, or stomp out the
parts of the word with your child.
e-le-phant
What to expect in speech and language development
Children learn different words based on their own experiences and they communicate
differently because of their personalities. Even though they develop speech and language at
their own pace, they do learn the same things in a similar order.
• follow 3 directions at a
• make eye contact with
time
other children and adults
• understand many
• take turns and wait for
concepts, such as colours,
their turn during activities
location words, and
• sit quietly and listen to the
numbers
teacher during circle time
• put things into basic
• say hi or hello and goodbye
groups, such as fruits,
appropriately
animals, and toys
• understand most adult
conversation,
including sayings
like Time to hit
Some 5 year olds may still have trouble:
the sack
• understand and
• saying the sounds sh, ch, j, s, z, v, r, and th.
answer most
The s and z sounds may be lisps.
questions
• asking questions that start with when.
appropriately
• understanding the words above
• like to listen to rhymes
and below.
and make up their own
rhymes
Social Skills
• say most speech sounds
correctly and are easy to
understand
• speak in sentences that are
5 to 6 words long
• ask questions using who,
what, where, and why
• use the present, future,
and past tenses (She walks
to the park. She will walk to
the park. She walked to the
park.)
• retell a story by naming
the characters and talking
about what happened
• use different types of
words, like action (kick) and
describing words (yellow,
cold)
Listening/Understanding
Talking
Most 5 year olds:
When to get help
Want more
information
on speech and
language? Read
the Talk Box
Resource
List.
You should be concerned if your child…
• speaks only in very short sentences
• makes many mistakes when talking in
sentences
• is hard to understand
Where to get help
Are you concerned about your child’s
speech and language development?
Speech-language pathologists can help.
To find one in your area…
• call your local health unit
• call Health Link Alberta :
• has trouble following directions
• Calgary area: 403-943-LINK (5465)
• Edmonton area: 780-408-LINK (5465)
• Toll free: 1-866-408-LINK (5465)
• has trouble understanding what people
say
• uses vague words like stuff or thing and
points instead of using the right word
• go to www.healthlinkalberta.ca
© 2007, Capital Health and Calgary Health Region
It’s your
turn next.
Go to www.parentlinkalberta.ca for more Talk Box ideas.
It is never too early to help
your child with speech
and language development.